The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference has notified Fort Scott they will have to forfeit all of their 2019 football games due to the use of an ineligible player.

According to Fort Scott, a non-conference school had contacted the NJCAA in regards to the use of ineligible player, who remains unknown at this point, and on Oct. 15 the NJCAA told Fort Scott of the allegations.

Fort Scott had confirmed it had obtained the release and transfer tracking form of said student-athlete. However, they did not have the transfer waiver form, which resulted in the violation.

Fort Scott obtained the form on Oct. 18, making said player eligible for the remainder of the 2019 season.

Fort Scott appealed the initial ruling of forfeiture but was denied through the appeal process. The only sanctions issued is the forfeit of said games.

According to Fort Scott, coaches and the player had no knowledge of the missing document.

Before the forfeit, there were multiple ways teams could win the Jayhawk Conference. Prior to Fort Scott forfieting games there was a possiblity of a three-team tie for the conference.

The conference by-laws do not give tie-breaking scenarios, therefore, it just goes down as a three-way tie.

With the forfeiture of games, it is only a two-way tie at best. Independence is the most affected. They move to 7-1 in the Jayhawk conference, with a lone loss to Hutchinson.

Garden City, who’s only loss is to Independence, is 6-1 within the conference and play at Butler on Saturday.

Hutchinson and Butler had their chances at a three-way championship vanished with the forfeitures. Though Butler and Hutch beat Fort Scott, they were not given an automatic win. This forces their 5-2 conference records will hold firm. The best they can do is tied for second.

At best the Grizzlies will be playing spoilers and for a potential bowl game. If Butler wins, they’ll give the Independence Pirates the out right conference crown and will have bettered their bowl resume.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team trailed every set of its Region VI Tournament opening-round match by at least four points on Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.

Led by 26 combined kills from outside hitters Camila Espejo and Katelyn Elstun and 11 total blocks, the Blue Dragons rallied in three of those four sets and eliminated the Grizzlies 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20.

Fourth-seeded Hutchinson (14-18) advances to the Region VI Tournament semifinals for the ninth-consecutive season and will meet top-seeded Seward County at Noon Sunday at the Green House in Liberal. Butler ends its season at 18-13.

With the victory, the Blue Dragons won 2 of 3 from Butler, but all three matches were extremely close.

Hutchinson’s night of comebacks started when the Grizzlies led 11-7 in the first set. The Dragons scored 6 of the final seven points to capture the opening set.

The Dragons got down by as many as eight points in the second set and didn’t recover from that deficit. Butler started the third set with seven unanswered points, but the Dragons won 25 of the next 38 points to win the third. Hutch then trailed 15-11 in the fourth set and rallied to take the fourth.

Espejo hit .344 on her 13 kills, taking 29 swings with three errors. Elstun hit .179 on her 13 kills. She added three block assists and an ace serve. Jenna Thorne added 11 kills on .429 hitting with six block assists and a pair of aces. No other Blue Dragon had more than three kills.

Sophomore setter Eboni Sapien had 36 assists and a pair of kills. Sophomore Eden Hiebert had three of Hutch’s seven service aces. Hiebert also had 13 digs. Freshman liberal Alissa Bautista had 20 digs.

Freshman Myracle Lettries had one solo and six block assists.

Amalie Rupertova had 15 kills and Morgan Bryand had 12 to lead the Grizzlies.

SET 1: Bryand’s kill gave Butler an 11-7 lead. The Dragons answered that with an 8-2 run to take a 15-11 lead after a Hiebert kill and Grizzly attack error. Butler then scored the next four for a 17-15 lead. The Dragons answered with three in a row. Elstun’s ace gave Hutch an 18-17 lead. Bryand had kills for Butler leads of 19-18 and 20-19. Sapien threw down a setter dump, then Thorne and Lettries teamed up for a double block which started a 6-1 Blue Dragon run to close the set, which came on Elstun’s third kill of the set.

SET 2: But grabbed an early lead in the second, but a Sapien/Jaydin Schake double block cut the Hutch deficit to 7-5. Butler went on a 7-1 run to build a 14-6 lead after a Milayna Hollinger kill. The Dragons chipped away and got within 16-12 on a Espejo kill. Rupertova had a huge second set with seven kills to keep the Dragons and arm’s length. Bryand delivered three late kills to close the Blue Dragons out and tie the match.

SET 3: Butler had all the momentum and scored seven straight and 8 of 9 to start the third set. But the Grizzlies aided Hutchinson’s comeback with 10 attack errors and four service errors. Trailing 9-3, the Dragons went on a 10-3 run to take a 13-12 lead on a Lettries/Elstun double block and Butler attack error. The Dragons led 19-17 after an Espejo kill and pushed out to a 22-19 lead on a Thorne kill. Leading 23-20, the Dragons took the match lead with a Thorne-Schake double block and an Elstun kill on a Butler over-dig.

SET 4: The Grizzles led 9-6 after a Rupertova ace and led 14-10 after a Bryand ace. Consecutive kills from the back row by Hiebert and Thorne started a 6-0 Hutch run. The Dragons tied the set at 15 on an out-of-system kill by Elstun. Hutch led 20-17 when Lauren Willson dropped a back-row attack right on the Butler baseline for a kill. An Elstun kill brought the match to set point, where Butler’s 29th attack error of the match closed out Hutch’s four-set win.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tre Jones scored 15 points and Cassius Stanley added 11 of his 13 points in the second half to help No. 4 Duke beat third-ranked Kansas 68-66 in the opener of the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. While Duke doesn’t have the star-studded freshmen class of last season of Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett, coach Mike Krzyzewski may have a more balanced team that made plays down the stretch when needed.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Cartier Diarra had 23 points, six rebounds and six assists, Makol Mawien had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kansas State beat North Dakota State 67-54 in a season opener. The Wildcats took the floor in Manhattan for the first time since winning the Big 12 regular-season championship last season.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Newcomer Trey Wade had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Dexter Dennis added 17 and 9 and Wichita State defeated Omaha in the season opener on Tuesday night 68-54. Dennis made 5 of 9 from 3-oint range and Wade was 3 of 5 as the Shockers were 11 of 31. Wade, a junior college transfer who originally played at UTEP, is the first Shocker newcomer to debut with a double-double since O.J. Robinson in 1999.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Graduate transfer quarterback Alex Delton has left TCU’s team after not playing in the past two games. Coach Gary Patterson acknowledged the departure of Delton during his weekly news conference Tuesday. Delton started the first two games, but freshman Max Duggan has started the last six since. Duggan is dealing with an injured middle finger on his throwing hand. Patterson thinks Duggan will be ready to play Saturday against No. 11 Baylor after getting hurt last week.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals manager Mike Shildt has been given a new three-year contract through the 2022 season. Shildt was hired in 2018 and his initial deal ran through 2020. St. Louis also announced president of baseball operations John Mozeliak received a three-year extension through 2023. The Cardinals exercised a 2020 option on general manager Mike Girsch and gave him a two-year extension through 2022.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and team President Mark Donovan have signed a long-term contract extension. Terms were not disclosed. Donovan joined the Chiefs as chief operating officer in 2009 and was promoted to team president in 2011.

National Headlines

Top-ranked Michigan has dropped its season opener as Kentucky freshman Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points to lead the second-ranked Wildcats to a 69-62 victory over the Spartans in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. Michigan State had whittled a 10-point halftime deficit down to four when Kentucky went on a 9-0 run behind 3s from Kahlil Whiney and Nate Sestina. Cassius Winston was the lone Spartan to score in double-figures, finishing with 21.

CLEVELAND (AP) _ Gordon Hayward hit all 16 of his 2-point attempts while scoring a career-high 39 points as the Boston Celtics downed the Cavaliers, 119-113 in Cleveland. Hayward put in Kemba Walker’s miss with 22 seconds left to give Boston a 118-113 lead. Walker had 25 points for the Celtics, who hit 56% from the field and won their fifth in a row since a season-opening loss to Philadelphia.

CHICAGO (AP) _ LeBron James recorded his third consecutive triple-double by providing 30 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Lakers’ 118-112 victory at Chicago. Quinn Cook had 17 points for Los Angeles, which trailed by as many as 19 before earning its sixth straight win following a loss to the Clippers in the season opener. Kyle Kuzma continued 11 of his 15 points while the Lakers were outscoring the Bulls, 38-19 in the fourth quarter.

UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State, LSU, Alabama and Penn State are the top four in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first rankings of the season. Next up were defending national champion Clemson, Georgia and Oregon. The 13-member committee will produce four more sets of rankings each Tuesday before the only ones that really count come out on selection Sunday, Dec. 8.

Tuesday Scores

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (16)Baylor 105 Cent. Arkansas 61
Final (5)Louisville 87 Miami 74
Final (12)Seton Hall 105 Wagner 71
Final (4)Duke 68 (3)Kansas 66
Final (6)Florida 74 North Florida 59
Final (25)VCU 72 St. Francis (Pa.) 58
Final (19)Xavier 76 Jacksonville 57
Final (7)Maryland 95 Holy Cross 71
Final (8)Gonzaga 95 Alabama St. 64
Final (14)Memphis 97 SC State 64
Final (13)Texas Tech 85 E. Illinois 60
Final (10)Villanova 97 Army 54
Final (24)Auburn 83 Georgia Southern 74
Final (15)Oregon 71 Fresno St. 57
Final OT (20)Saint Mary’s (Cal) 65 Wisconsin 63
Final (2)Kentucky 69 (1)Michigan St. 62
Final (17)Utah St. 81 Montana St. 73

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final OT Charlotte 122 Indiana 120
Final Boston 119 Cleveland 113
Final Atlanta 108 San Antonio 100
Final L.A. Lakers 118 Chicago 112
Final Oklahoma City 102 Orlando 94
Final Denver 109 Miami 89

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Newcomer Trey Wade had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Dexter Dennis added 17 and 9 and Wichita State defeated Omaha 68-54 in the season opener on Tuesday night.

Dennis made 5 of 9 from 3-oint range and Wade was 3 of 5 as the Shockers were 11 of 31. Wade, a junior college transfer who originally played at UTEP, is the first Shocker newcomer to debut with a double-double since O.J. Robinson in 1999.

Grant Sherfield had 12 points for Wichita State., which led 31-25 at halftime.

Ayo Akinwole scored 16 points with eight rebounds for the Mavericks. J Gibson and Zach Thornhill added 11 points apiece. Matt Pile grabbed 15 rebounds.

Wichita State is 16-1 in home openers since its renovated arena opened in 2003 but Louisiana Tech snapped the 16-game streak last season.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The defending Big 12 Champions took the floor at home for the first time since cutting down the nets last year as Kansas State beat North Dakota State 67-54 on Tuesday night.

Cartier Diarra had 23 points, six rebounds and six assists, Makol Mawien had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds after the Wildcats lost their top three scorers off last year’s team.

“We are a new team and we knew it’d be a really hard game,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “I’m happy for our guys; proud of them.”

Rocky Kreuser led the Bison with 14 points, Tyson Ward had 12 and Sam Griesel was vital, providing eight points and nine rebounds. Kansas State kept 2019 Summit League Tournament MVP Vinnie Shahid quiet as he scored eight points, going 2-12 in the game.

North Dakota State brings back lots of experience from last year, including six of the top seven scorers, but it wasn’t enough to take down Big 12 foe Kansas State.

The Bison, whose season ended in a second-round loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament last season, gave the Wildcats all they could handle while leading the majority of the first half.

“We didn’t come here to get beat by 13 and run out of here with smiles,” North Dakota State coach David Richman said. “There is some encouraging things, to be up at half, to tie a Big 12 team on the glass on the road. There’s some encouraging things to build on.”

The Wildcats played three freshman — Montavious Murphy, Antonio Gordon and DaJuan Gordon. They combined for seven points and 10 rebounds. Murphy led the team in minutes played.

“I felt great,” Murphy said. “I just told myself I was going to come out here and play hard. I just wanted to make sure I played hard and I feel like I did that and we came out with the dub.”

North Dakota State went to the line 25 times, shooting 64%. The Bison kept it close by hitting eight three-pointers, just short of their 9.5 makes per game last season.

The Wildcats proved to be no match for the Bison in the paint, scoring 34 points from inside and holding North Dakota State to 14.

“We talked about dominating two’s and the points in the pain,” Weber said. “We thought that had to be the difference for us.”

Already up by five, the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run in the second half to extend their lead and never looked back.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

In the second half, Diarra found Mawien on an alley-oop which sparked the Wildcats as Kansas State used that momentum to close out the Bison.

BIG PICTURE

North Dakota State brings back most of its scoring from a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last year. Don’t be surprised if they are playing on the big stage again this season.

The Wildcats are a much different team than they were last year. K-State will lean on Sneed and Diarra to carry the load.

UP NEXT

North Dakota State hosts Mayville State for their home opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Kansas State travels to UNLV on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off.

NEW YORK (AP) — Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was pleased with his young team’s poise in the season opener, especially that of sophomore Tre Jones.

Jones scored 15 points and Cassius Stanley added 11 of his 13 points in the second half to help No. 4 Duke beat third-ranked Kansas 68-66 in the opener of the Champions Classic on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

“The difference maker was Tre. Lot of young guys, lot of new guys,” Krzyzewski said. “We really tried to play good defense in our first 30 practices. We played really good defense (tonight). It starts with that kid. Really happy with my team. Terrific win for us.”

While Duke doesn’t have the star-studded freshmen class of last season of Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett, Krzyzewski may have a more balanced team, capable of making plays down the stretch when needed.

“One of the main things I have to learn how to do is sub,” the Hall of Fame coach joked. “Last couple years might bring in one guy. All of a sudden there are three guys. Not sure I did a good job, but it worked.”

Trailing 61-59 with 2:29 left, Stanley drove to the basket and made the layup and was fouled. The freshman guard converted the free throw to give the Blue Devils a one-point lead.

Devon Dotson missed a layup on the other end and Jones then hit a jumper that bounced off the rim twice before dropping in with 1:33 left.

Marcus Garrett got the Jayhawks back within one. After a miss by the Blue Devils, Kansas turned the ball over with 37 seconds left. It was the Jayhawks’ 28th turnover of the game. Jones then converted two free throws with 26.2 seconds left.

Kansas had chances, but couldn’t convert until Dotson banked in a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer. He finished with 17 points.

“We’re disappointed in the outcome. That was a game that either team could have won multiple times. We had ourselves in good position in the second half and the game got away from us,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “It’s a learning experience. Not sure a game win or lose on Nov. 5 will count much in March. There’s a lot of things we can learn.”

Self wasn’t happy with the turnovers, but knows that it was the first game of the season.

“Duke’s defense is better than the exhibition game. I think we played uncharacteristic,” Self said. “I think we made easy plays difficult many times. A lot of that was the nerves, the environment. Guys wanted to do well so bad.”

Tuesday’s game marked the return of Kansas senior Udoka Azubuike, who played only nine games last year after tearing ligaments in his right hand. He had eight points. It also was the first game for Silvio De Sousa since the 2017-18 season. He was suspended for two seasons because of NCAA violations and sat out last year as Kansas was implicated in the FBI probe of college basketball. Kansas won an appeal that allowed De Sousa to play this year. He got a nice ovation from the fans when he checked in nearly 3:30 into the game. He finished with three points.

Duke led 33-30 at the half as neither team really got into much of an offensive rhythm in the opening 20 minutes. There was a lot of sloppy play with Kansas committing 18 turnovers. Despite all the miscues, the Jayhawks were able to stay in the game by hitting 10 of their 19 shots from the field.

No. 1 Michigan State played second-ranked Kentucky in the second game of the doubleheader. This is the first time in the nine-year history of the event that the four teams occupy the top four spots in the poll.

NIFTY PLAY: Stanley had back-to-back dunks on the break, both coming on assists from Tre Jones. The second one came when Jones threw a 45-foot bounce pass to a streaking Spencer who finished the play with a one-handed jam.

NOT SO FREE THROWS: Both teams struggled from the foul line with Kansas going 16 for 26 and Duke 14 for 23.

MSG MILESTONES: Krzyzewski has had many memorable moments at Madison Square Garden, including passing Bobby Knight with his 903rd career win in 2011 to become No. 1 on the all-time men’s victory list. He also had his 1,000th career win at MSG in 2015.

“This is the one I love playing in after Cameron. Balls bounce different, the noise. Something about this place,” Krzyzewski said. “I’ve now coached over 50 games in here. … When eventually I stop coaching, I’ll look back at the times here as very special times in New York.”

UP NEXT:

Duke: Hosts Colorado State on Friday.

Kansas: Hosts UNC Greensboro on Friday.

WICHITA, Kan. – The Buhler Crusader Boy’s Soccer team was upset by #4 seed Wichita-Trinity Academy 3-2 in overtime at the Wichita-Stryker Sports Complex Tuesday evening in Wichita.  Buhler finishes the season (13-6)-0 while Wichita-Trinity Academy (8-11-0) will play Olathe-Heritage Christian Academy (12-6-0), the #1 seed in the State quarterfinal Friday in Wichita. Buhler goals were scored by Cade Taylor and Nick Wills.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that team President Mark Donovan has signed a long-term contract extension with the club. Donovan originally joined the Chiefs as the club’s chief operating officer in 2009 before being promoted to team president in 2011.

“I’d like to congratulate Mark and his family on this well-deserved recognition,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Because of Mark’s leadership over the past decade, the business operations of the Chiefs are among the best in professional sports, and he and his team have worked tirelessly to create the best fan experience in the National Football League. Mark is an innovative leader and a talented executive who is widely respected in our industry and in the Kansas City community. I am thrilled that he will continue to be a key part of the leadership of the Chiefs for many years to come.”

“My family and I are grateful for the opportunity to continue our journey here in Kansas City,” Donovan said. “I’d like to thank Clark and the entire Hunt family for their unwavering support and belief in me to help lead one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. I’d also like to recognize all our staff members who continue to push the boundaries to make our organization the best it can be for our fans. To Chiefs Kingdom, we are proud to call Kansas City home and look forward to creating many more memories here.”

Only the fifth president in team history, Donovan is currently in the midst of his 21^st season in the National Football League and 11^th with the Chiefs. He has overseen a period of tremendous business growth and has helped the club re-establish Arrowhead Stadium as an elite venue for not only sports, but other forms of entertainment. His leadership extends to the community both personally and professionally, where he is actively engaged in Chiefs charitable giving and community involvement.

Donovan joined the Chiefs in 2009 after six years with the Philadelphia Eagles as Senior Vice President of Business Operations (2003-08). Prior to joining the Eagles, Donovan held leadership roles as the NFL’s Senior Director of Sales and Marketing (1999-03) and the Director of Sales and Marketing for the National Hockey League (1997-99). He also brings seven years of experience in the private business sector. He originally joined the league in 1999.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native graduated from Brown University with a double major in political science and organizational behavior/management. He captained the Brown football squad as the team’s quarterback and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent upon graduation.

He and his wife, Kathy, have two children and reside in Kansas City.

A full biography on Donovan can be accessed by clicking here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Panthers have placed quarterback Cam Newton on injured reserve, meaning he can’t play for the rest of the regular season.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement Tuesday that Newton is still experiencing pain in his foot and needs to continue to rehab from the injury.

“He saw two foot specialists last week who agreed that he should continue that path prescribed by the team’s medical staff, and that it likely will take significant time for the injury to fully heal,” Hurney said. “We have said all along that it is impossible to put a timetable on this injury. Nobody is more frustrated with that fact than Cam.”

Newton could possibly return this season — if the Panthers reach the playoffs.

According to NFL rules, Newton could hypothetically be designated to return from IR after eight weeks if the Panthers (5-3) were to qualify for the postseason, although that scenario would be a longshot since he would not have played since Week 2.

Newton has missed the last six games while trying to rehab from a mid-foot sprain he initially sustained during the preseason.

Hurney said Newton is one of the fiercest competitors he’s been around in his 20-plus years in the league.

“At this time, we have decided that the best decision to reach the goal of bringing the foot back to 100% is to place Cam on injured reserve,” Hurney said.

Newton was the league’s MVP in 2015, but has lost his last eight starts dating back to last season. He was 0-2 as a starter this year and was a non-factor in the running game, carrying five times for minus-2 yards.

The Panthers have rallied to win five of their past six games behind Kyle Allen, who was an undrafted rookie in 2018.

Newton was hoping for a bounce back season after struggling with shoulder problems last season.

The injury also puts his long term future with the team in doubt.

He has two years left on his contract, but the team could release him after this season and save $19 million under the NFL salary cap. In that scenario Newton would only cost the team $2 million next season in dead cap space.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ohio State, LSU, Alabama and Penn State are the top four in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first rankings of the season.

Next up were defending national champion Clemson, Georgia and Oregon. The 13-member committee will produce four more sets of rankings each Tuesday before the only ones that really count come out on selection Sunday, Dec. 8.

The semifinals will be held this season at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 28. The national championship game is Jan. 13 in New Orleans.

The top four in the selection committee’s initial rankings have never all reached the semifinals in the playoff’s five-year history. Eleven of the 20 teams that started in the top four of the CFP rankings have reached the playoff, but, oddly, never the team ranked third.

Utah was eighth and Oklahoma, the highest-ranked team from the Big 12, was ninth. Florida gave the Southeastern Conference four of the top 10 teams.

It was hard to call anything a surprise or all that important in the first rankings, but undefeated Clemson being out of the top four was somewhat unexpected.

The good news for the Tigers is the teams in front of them have to play one another. LSU is at Alabama on Saturday. The teams are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the AP Top 25 but are second and third in the CFP rankings.

Ohio State and Penn State face off on Nov. 30. The Nittany Lions also face a challenge this week when they visit unbeaten Minnesota, which was ranked 17th by the committee.

As long as Clemson keeps winning, the Tigers should be OK.

The highest-ranked team among Group of Five conference schools was Cincinnati out of the American Athletic Conference at No. 20. The top team from outside the Power Five conferences gets a New Year’s Six bowl bid.